My Blind Date

"Just wanted to let you know I'm going to be in Helena the first full week of January...the nights of the 7th & 8th. Didn't know if you'd be up for grabbing a beer on the night of the 8th. It would be an honor to meet the almighty Os!"

That was what I received in the email a few weeks ago. I was hesitant at first. This was, essentially, a blind date. Truthfully, with someone I was sure I wouldn't recognize. And the first time that a (former) HNTer/blogger had come to town and wanted to meet me. Dana was different. She and her son were passing nearby when I suggested they should take a detour. Which they did. No, this was quite different. They were coming to town, and wanted to meet me. The pressure was on...

We agreed to meet at the Brewhouse, where I do most of my beer drinking (check the archives). A nice, safe place (where everyone knows your name--our waiter came up while I was waiting and knew exactly what I wanted, and what size!), and only about a block away from the hotel. Little did I realize that God and everybody was there to eat, drink and watch the "championship" football game on the multitude of plasma TVs. But I was able to secure a table (I am Os, after all...), and waited for the meeting. They came in through the back door...

It was great! We drank beer, ate chips and salsa, calamari, and watched the football game (a little). We gossiped like schoolgirls. We talked about HNT, OHNT, bloggers, and a variety of other blogging subjects. We called a couple of people (only one answered...). We swapped stories and experiences. In spite of dropping out of HNT/blogging, they were still well-versed in lurking, so it wasn't too one-sided.

We lasted as long as the game (and a pretty good game, at that). Early wake-up calls and staff meetings prevented a longer evening. We said our goodbyes, but not before snapping a quick picture:


Many of you will remember DH, or have seen him in your comments. It was great to meet him! And he is officially #43 in the list!